Quinze & Milan’s Room 26 at Kortrijk’s Museum 1302

Room 26 is a line of furniture designed by Quinze & Milan, a “multidisciplinary conceptual architecture and design agency” located in Belgium. The simple lines of the pieces—chairs, stools, tables, and lounge—stress the rectangle while also blurring its angularity with subtle tapering. Although the collection owes much to mid-century simplicity, its variations are playful: “Room 26 has a look that fuses the familiar and the timeless with ‘something different.’”

Part of its freshness comes from a powerful use of color, punches of lime and pink that come from the upholstery. The oak chairs of Room 26 are covered in a comfortable layer of QM Foam, finished with the fabric or leather of your choice. Therein lies a plethora of design possibilities. A great example of what Room 26 can do is found at an unlikely venue: Museum 1302, the interactive and multimedia museum that shows “seven centuries in one day: a contemporary look at the battle of the golden spurs.” Located in Kortrijk, in the Lele region of Belgium, the museum brings to life the famous 1302 battle, transporting coats of mail to a millennial generation. In some ways, the juxtaposition of old and new perfectly represents what Room 26 achieves.

Museum 1302 features customized, colorful versions of the furniture line’s 01 Chair, its seat and backrest upholstered in different hues. Against the auditorium’s spare grey walls and cement steps, Room 26 bursts as wildly as pop rocks. The chairs achieve what Quinze & Milan intends—“infectious creations that pull you into their self-shaped sphere and hold you captive.”